While Americans may be preparing to celebrate the fourth of July holiday this week, Zynga has launched a celebration of its own in FarmVille, dealing more with summer in general and spending time outdoors. This feature is called the "Big Picnic," and it brings back the item collection feature we've seen during countless prior holidays, in that you'll need to ask your friends for collectibles that can be used to earn special, limited edition prizes.

To be more specific, this Big Picnic is an item you'll place on one of your farms, and you'll then be able to start filling it with Picnic Baskets. You can earn these Picnic Baskets by simply asking your friends to send them to you, or by claiming excess baskets that are shared on your friends' walls. As you collect Picnic Baskets, your Big Picnic item will grow and change in appearance, and you'll start to unlock prizes within it.

There are six prizes available in this feature as of this writing, ranging from 15 to 170 Picnic Baskets in price:

15 Picnic Baskets - Peeking Ducks

20 Picnic Baskets - Zen Gnome

35 Picnic Baskets - Giant Parasol Tree

50 Picnic Baskets - White Ninja Sheep

75 Picnic Baskets - Ghangis Cow

170 Picnic Baskets - Nomadic Horse

As with past features of this type, you'll likely only have a few weeks to collect Picnic Baskets and redeem them before Picnic Baskets will no longer be available. Your best bet is to ask for them early and often, to take advantage of all of your friends that are trying to do the same. Good luck earning at least one of every item inside this Big Picnic feature!

[Via and image credit: Zynga]
What do you think of this Big Picnic and the six prizes that are up for grabs? Do you think you'll be able to to collect enough Picnic Baskets to earn all six prizes? Let us know in the comments!